The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Encyclopedia
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (colloquially MD Anderson Cancer Center) is one of the nation's original three comprehensive cancer
centers established by the National Cancer Act of 1971. It is both a degree-granting academic institution and a cancer treatment and research center located at the Texas Medical Center
in Houston. For eight of the past 10 years, including 2011, MD Anderson has ranked No. 1 in cancer care in the "America's Best Hospitals" survey published in U.S. News & World Report
.
MD Anderson was created by an act of the Texas
Legislature in 1941, making it a part of The University of Texas System. Today it is one of 40 Comprehensive Cancer Centers designated by the National Cancer Institute
. The cancer center provided care for about 105,000 patients in 2010 and employs about 18,000 people.
, a banker and cotton
trader from Jackson, Tennessee
. He was a member of a business partnership with his brother-in-law Will Clayton. Their company became the largest cotton company in the world. Anderson feared that in the event of one of the partners' deaths, the company would lose a large amount of money to estate tax and be forced to dissolve. To avoid this, Anderson created the MD Anderson Foundation with an initial sum of $300,000. In 1939 after Anderson's death, the foundation received $19 million.
In 1941 the Texas Legislature
had appropriated $500,000 to build a cancer hospital and research center. The Anderson Foundation agreed to match funds with the state if the hospital were located in Houston in the Texas Medical Center (another project of the Anderson Foundation) and named after Anderson.
Using surplus World War II Army barracks, the hospital operated for 10 years from a converted residence and 46 beds leased in a Houston hospital before moving to its current location in 1954.
The institution became the subject of controversy in 2005, when it leased the use of its name to private investors who intended to promote a particular therapeutic approach, proton therapy. An article in the Houston Chronicle
suggested that the arrangement between the Center and the investors might skew incentives, providing M.D. Anderson with non-medical reasons to "send as many patients as possible into the program."
In 2011 the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation gave $150 million to MD Anderson.
.
have caused some to question the motives of the center.
MD Anderson enjoys university status by providing fellowship
, internship
and residency opportunities to Ph.D.s and medical professionals. The institution offers master's degrees and Ph.D.s to students enrolled in The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, which it operates with UT Health Science Center at Houston. Areas of study include: immunology, cancer biology, genes and development, molecular carcinogenesis, medical physics, biomathematics and biostatistics, experimental therapeutics, and virology and gene therapy.
Through its School of Health Professions, the cancer center also offers bachelor's degrees in eight allied health fields, including clinical laboratory science, cytogenetic technology, cytotechnology, diagnostic imaging, histotechnology, medical dosimetry
, molecular genetic technology and radiation therapy
.
grants and invested more than $547 million in research in 2010. The cancer center also received Magnet Nursing recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center
.
Mendelsohn stepped down from his position on Sept. 1, 2011, when Ronald A. DePinho
, M.D., became president. Mendelsohn remains on the faculty as co-director of the new Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy.
The provost and executive vice president is Raymond DuBois, M.D., Ph.D.
The executive vice president and physician-in-chief is Thomas Burke, M.D.
The executive vice president and chief business officer is Leon Leach.
The cancer center continues to grow, increasing in size by 50% in the past 10 years. The complex now includes about 600 inpatient beds, several research buildings and outpatient clinic buildings, two faculty office buildings, and a patient-family hotel in addition to other off-site facilities for clinical and research use.
Recent construction projects include the opening of two new research buildings on MD Anderson's South Campus and the addition of nine floors that can accommodate more than 300 new inpatient beds in Alkek Hospital on the North Campus. MD Anderson's first facility on its Mid Campus, a 25-story building to support current office space and future growth needs, opened in June 2011.
, the center offers access to many of the clinical trials offered at MD Anderson.
MD Anderson International-España is a venture between MDA Holding Spain, S.A., a Spanish investment consortium, and the MD Anderson Outreach Corporation, a health care organization created in 1989 to open and expand access to MD Anderson's internationally recognized standard of cancer care. Funding was provided by participants in Madrid.
In return for assisting with the development and operation of the Madrid facility, MD Anderson Outreach Corporation has a small equity and share in profits. Neither MD Anderson Cancer Center nor MD Anderson Outreach Corporation has invested any actual dollars in the project.
MD Anderson Outreach Corporation has two seats on the 11-member board of directors of MDA Holding Company. The two board seats have significant "reserve powers," which mandate that both representatives approve certain decisions such as those related to quality assurance.
in Houston. The institution's campus is divided into the North Campus, Mid Campus and South Campus.
The North Campus includes the Main Building, which comprises Alkek Hospital, Bates-Freeman Building, Clark Clinic, Gimbel Building, Jones Research Building, LeMaistre Clinic, Love Clinic and Lutheran Hospital Pavilion. Other facilities on this campus are the Dan L. Duncan Building, Clinical Research Building, Faculty Center, Mays Clinic, Mitchell Basic Sciences Research Building, Pickens Academic Tower, Radiology Outpatient Center and Rotary House International.
The South Campus is home to the McCombs Institute for the Early Detection and Treatment of Cancer, which includes seven translational research centers focused on genomics, proteomics, screening, diagnostic imaging and drug development.
Development is under way on the Mid Campus, with the opening on an administrative office building in June 2011.
The T. Boone Pickens Academic Tower, a 21-story, 730000 square foot building, which opened in 2008, is named after T. Boone Pickens, who donated to the cancer center. It houses classrooms, conference facilities, and executive and faculty offices.
In 1974 MD Anderson bought the Houston Main Building
(originally the Prudential Building) for $18.5 million. The building, which includes a Peter Hurd
fresco
, is scheduled for demolition in late 2011.
MD Anderson operates several regional care centers. They include:
MD Anderson also has operations outside of Texas. The MD Anderson Cancer Center Radiation Treatment Center at Presbyterian Kaseman Hospital is located in the Presbyterian Kaseman Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico
. MD Anderson Banner Cancer Center in Gilbert
, a city in the Greater Phoenix area of Arizona
, opened in September 2011. The system announced plans to create the Gilbert facility on May 5, 2009.
In addition the MD Anderson Radiation Treatment Center in Istanbul at American Hospital is located in the Vehbi Koc Foundation (VKF) American Hospital in Istanbul
, Turkey
.
The MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando in Orlando, Florida
opened in 1989.
Outreach Corporation) was established in 1989 as a not-for-profit corporation to enhance revenues of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center by establishing joint ventures in selected markets, providing additional referrals to the institution, contracting for delivery of inpatient and out-patient management, using existing UT MD Anderson Cancer Center reference laboratory services, and fostering additional philanthropy in distant areas. MD Anderson Services Corporation is managed by a board of directors. Three of the directors, one of whom shall be a regent and two of whom shall be administrative officers of The University of Texas System, may be appointed by the Board of Regents. (Note that the MD Anderson Outreach Corporation entered in a for-profit agreement with MD Anderson International-España.)
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
centers established by the National Cancer Act of 1971. It is both a degree-granting academic institution and a cancer treatment and research center located at the Texas Medical Center
Texas Medical Center
The Texas Medical Center is the largest medical center in the world with one of the highest densities of clinical facilities for patient care, basic science, and translational research...
in Houston. For eight of the past 10 years, including 2011, MD Anderson has ranked No. 1 in cancer care in the "America's Best Hospitals" survey published in U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
.
MD Anderson was created by an act of the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Legislature in 1941, making it a part of The University of Texas System. Today it is one of 40 Comprehensive Cancer Centers designated by the National Cancer Institute
National Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health , which is one of 11 agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NCI coordinates the U.S...
. The cancer center provided care for about 105,000 patients in 2010 and employs about 18,000 people.
History
The cancer center is named after Monroe Dunaway AndersonMonroe Dunaway Anderson
Monroe Dunaway Anderson was a banker and cotton trader from Jackson, Tennessee. With his brother-in-law, William L. Clayton, Anderson built Anderson, Clayton & Co into the world's biggest cotton company. In the event of one of their deaths, the partnership would lose a large amount of money to...
, a banker and cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
trader from Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson, Tennessee
Jackson is a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. The total population was 65,211 at the 2010 census. Jackson is the primary city of the Jackson, Tennessee metropolitan area, which is included in the Jackson-Humboldt, Tennessee Combined Statistical Area...
. He was a member of a business partnership with his brother-in-law Will Clayton. Their company became the largest cotton company in the world. Anderson feared that in the event of one of the partners' deaths, the company would lose a large amount of money to estate tax and be forced to dissolve. To avoid this, Anderson created the MD Anderson Foundation with an initial sum of $300,000. In 1939 after Anderson's death, the foundation received $19 million.
In 1941 the Texas Legislature
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
had appropriated $500,000 to build a cancer hospital and research center. The Anderson Foundation agreed to match funds with the state if the hospital were located in Houston in the Texas Medical Center (another project of the Anderson Foundation) and named after Anderson.
Using surplus World War II Army barracks, the hospital operated for 10 years from a converted residence and 46 beds leased in a Houston hospital before moving to its current location in 1954.
The institution became the subject of controversy in 2005, when it leased the use of its name to private investors who intended to promote a particular therapeutic approach, proton therapy. An article in the Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
suggested that the arrangement between the Center and the investors might skew incentives, providing M.D. Anderson with non-medical reasons to "send as many patients as possible into the program."
In 2011 the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation gave $150 million to MD Anderson.
Mission
MD Anderson is focused on research on causes, treatments, and prevention of cancer, with the stated mission of "Making Cancer History." In 2010, about 10,000 patients participated in therapeutic clinical research exploring novel treatments, making it the largest program of its kind in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Status
Being part of The University of Texas System, MD Anderson Cancer Center is managed under a nonprofit structure; however, for-profit agreements (see the award winning article "M.D. Anderson private venture raises questions")have caused some to question the motives of the center.
MD Anderson enjoys university status by providing fellowship
Postdoctoral researcher
Postdoctoral research is scholarly research conducted by a person who has recently completed doctoral studies, normally within the previous five years. It is intended to further deepen expertise in a specialist subject, including acquiring novel skills and methods...
, internship
Medical intern
A medical intern is a term used in the United States for a physician in training who has completed medical school. An intern has a medical degree, but does not have a full license to practice medicine unsupervised...
and residency opportunities to Ph.D.s and medical professionals. The institution offers master's degrees and Ph.D.s to students enrolled in The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, which it operates with UT Health Science Center at Houston. Areas of study include: immunology, cancer biology, genes and development, molecular carcinogenesis, medical physics, biomathematics and biostatistics, experimental therapeutics, and virology and gene therapy.
Through its School of Health Professions, the cancer center also offers bachelor's degrees in eight allied health fields, including clinical laboratory science, cytogenetic technology, cytotechnology, diagnostic imaging, histotechnology, medical dosimetry
Dosimetry
Radiation dosimetry is the measurement and calculation of the absorbed dose in matter and tissue resulting from the exposure to indirect and direct ionizing radiation...
, molecular genetic technology and radiation therapy
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy , radiation oncology, or radiotherapy , sometimes abbreviated to XRT or DXT, is the medical use of ionizing radiation, generally as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells.Radiation therapy is commonly applied to the cancerous tumor because of its ability to control...
.
Recognition
In addition to its No. 1 ranking in cancer care by U.S. News & World Report, the cancer center ranks first in the number of National Cancer InstituteNational Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health , which is one of 11 agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NCI coordinates the U.S...
grants and invested more than $547 million in research in 2010. The cancer center also received Magnet Nursing recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center
American Nurses Credentialing Center
The American Nurses Credentialing Center , a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association , is a certification body for nursing board certification and the largest certification body for advanced practice registered nurses in the United States , currently certifying over 75,000 APRNs...
.
Leadership
MD Anderson has had only four full-time presidents in its history:- R. Lee Clark, M.D. (1946–1978)
- Charles LeMaistre, M.D. (1978–1996)
- John Mendelsohn, M.D. (1996–2011)
- Ronald DePinho, M.D. (2011-present)
Mendelsohn stepped down from his position on Sept. 1, 2011, when Ronald A. DePinho
Ronald A. DePinho
Ronald A. DePinho, M.D., president of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, is internationally recognized for basic and translational research in cancer, aging and age-associated degenerative disorders....
, M.D., became president. Mendelsohn remains on the faculty as co-director of the new Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy.
The provost and executive vice president is Raymond DuBois, M.D., Ph.D.
The executive vice president and physician-in-chief is Thomas Burke, M.D.
The executive vice president and chief business officer is Leon Leach.
Growth
Recent construction projects include the opening of two new research buildings on MD Anderson's South Campus and the addition of nine floors that can accommodate more than 300 new inpatient beds in Alkek Hospital on the North Campus. MD Anderson's first facility on its Mid Campus, a 25-story building to support current office space and future growth needs, opened in June 2011.
International growth
In 2000 MD Anderson officials inaugurated MD Anderson International-España, its first international affiliation and Spain's first multidisciplinary full-service cancer center. Located in MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, the center offers access to many of the clinical trials offered at MD Anderson.
MD Anderson International-España is a venture between MDA Holding Spain, S.A., a Spanish investment consortium, and the MD Anderson Outreach Corporation, a health care organization created in 1989 to open and expand access to MD Anderson's internationally recognized standard of cancer care. Funding was provided by participants in Madrid.
In return for assisting with the development and operation of the Madrid facility, MD Anderson Outreach Corporation has a small equity and share in profits. Neither MD Anderson Cancer Center nor MD Anderson Outreach Corporation has invested any actual dollars in the project.
MD Anderson Outreach Corporation has two seats on the 11-member board of directors of MDA Holding Company. The two board seats have significant "reserve powers," which mandate that both representatives approve certain decisions such as those related to quality assurance.
Texas Medical Center
MD Anderson Cancer Center is located at the Texas Medical CenterTexas Medical Center
The Texas Medical Center is the largest medical center in the world with one of the highest densities of clinical facilities for patient care, basic science, and translational research...
in Houston. The institution's campus is divided into the North Campus, Mid Campus and South Campus.
The North Campus includes the Main Building, which comprises Alkek Hospital, Bates-Freeman Building, Clark Clinic, Gimbel Building, Jones Research Building, LeMaistre Clinic, Love Clinic and Lutheran Hospital Pavilion. Other facilities on this campus are the Dan L. Duncan Building, Clinical Research Building, Faculty Center, Mays Clinic, Mitchell Basic Sciences Research Building, Pickens Academic Tower, Radiology Outpatient Center and Rotary House International.
The South Campus is home to the McCombs Institute for the Early Detection and Treatment of Cancer, which includes seven translational research centers focused on genomics, proteomics, screening, diagnostic imaging and drug development.
Development is under way on the Mid Campus, with the opening on an administrative office building in June 2011.
The T. Boone Pickens Academic Tower, a 21-story, 730000 square foot building, which opened in 2008, is named after T. Boone Pickens, who donated to the cancer center. It houses classrooms, conference facilities, and executive and faculty offices.
In 1974 MD Anderson bought the Houston Main Building
Houston Main Building
The Houston Main Building formerly the Prudential Building, is a skyscraper in the Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas. It originally housed offices of the Prudential Insurance Company, before becoming a part of the MD Anderson Cancer Center. The building is scheduled for demolition.-History:The...
(originally the Prudential Building) for $18.5 million. The building, which includes a Peter Hurd
Peter Hurd
Peter Hurd was an American artist, born Harold Hurd, Jr., in Roswell, New Mexico.Nicknamed "Pete" by his parents, he later legally changed his name to Peter.-Life:...
fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
, is scheduled for demolition in late 2011.
Other locations
Within Greater HoustonGreater Houston
Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown is a 10-county metropolitan area defined by the Office of Management and Budget. It is located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas...
MD Anderson operates several regional care centers. They include:
- Nassau BayNassau Bay, TexasNassau Bay is a city in Harris County, Texas, United States, bordering the southeastern edge of the city of Houston. It is located in the Clear Lake Area near Galveston Bay, directly adjacent to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. The population was 4,170 at the 2000 census...
: Regional Care Center in the Bay AreaClear Lake (region)Clear Lake, or the Clear Lake Area, is a region in parts of Harris and Galveston County in Texas, United States. It is part of the Galveston Bay Area, which itself is a section of the Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown metropolitan area...
- On the campus of the Christus St. John Hospital - Sugar LandSugar Land, TexasSugar Land is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and Fort Bend County. Sugar Land is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in Texas, having grown more than 158 percent in the last decade. In the time period of 2000–2007, Sugar Land also enjoyed a...
: Regional Care Center in Sugar Land - On the campus of St. Luke's Sugar Land Hospital - unincorporatedUnincorporated areaIn law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Harris CountyHarris County, TexasAs of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
: Regional Care Center in KatyKaty, TexasKaty is a city located in Harris, Fort Bend and Waller Counties in the U.S. state of Texas, within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area...
- On the campus of the Christus St. Catherine Hospital - unincorporatedUnincorporated areaIn law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Montgomery CountyMontgomery County, TexasMontgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The county was created by an act of the Congress of the Republic of Texas on December 14, 1837. The county was named for the town of Montgomery, Texas. In 2000, its...
: Regional Care Center in The WoodlandsThe Woodlands, TexasThe Woodlands is a master-planned community and a Census-designated place in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. The population of the CDP was 55,649 at the 2000 census—a 90 percent increase over its 1990 population. According to the 2010 census, The Woodlands' population rose...
- On the campus of St. Luke's The Woodlands Hospital
MD Anderson also has operations outside of Texas. The MD Anderson Cancer Center Radiation Treatment Center at Presbyterian Kaseman Hospital is located in the Presbyterian Kaseman Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
. MD Anderson Banner Cancer Center in Gilbert
Gilbert, Arizona
-Demographics:As of July 1, 2009, Maricopa Association of Governments, Census 2000. United States Census Bureau. there were 217,521 people, 74,147 housing units, and 3.01 persons per household....
, a city in the Greater Phoenix area of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, opened in September 2011. The system announced plans to create the Gilbert facility on May 5, 2009.
In addition the MD Anderson Radiation Treatment Center in Istanbul at American Hospital is located in the Vehbi Koc Foundation (VKF) American Hospital in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
The MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
opened in 1989.
Sister institutions
MD Anderson has formed sister institution relationships with 20 organizations in Asia, Europe, Central America and South America. Collaborations focus on research, prevention, education and patient care.MD Anderson Services Corporation
MD Anderson Services Corporation (formerly MD Anderson Cancer CenterOutreach Corporation) was established in 1989 as a not-for-profit corporation to enhance revenues of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center by establishing joint ventures in selected markets, providing additional referrals to the institution, contracting for delivery of inpatient and out-patient management, using existing UT MD Anderson Cancer Center reference laboratory services, and fostering additional philanthropy in distant areas. MD Anderson Services Corporation is managed by a board of directors. Three of the directors, one of whom shall be a regent and two of whom shall be administrative officers of The University of Texas System, may be appointed by the Board of Regents. (Note that the MD Anderson Outreach Corporation entered in a for-profit agreement with MD Anderson International-España.)
External links
- University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
- Newsroom - Includes links to social networking websites